A fox in the hand
by wayofthepen
Summary: Sequel to 'So who's holding the leash' Naruto is back to normal, knows that Hinata has feelings for him and is beginning to understand what he feels for her. If half the village wasn't opposed to the union of Jinchuuriki to Hyuuga things would be perfect.
1. Chapter 1

Whoa, Sequal! You may notice i seem to cut a few things off, sorry, but i was getting hung up on a few scenes, but it didn't seem to disrupt the feel of it too much, so i decided to leave it like that.

Aslo, there will be the same silly/serious moments. I know the relationship should have it's up's and down's, and i'm still trying to get the timing and transition and contrast between the two just right, please forgive if things are still too abrupt.

* * *

Muscles burning, Hinata forced herself through the last sequence of moves, carefully deflecting a set of strikes from Kurenai-sensei and following through with the counters she'd spent the last hour learning. The last strike passed a hair's breadth from her cheek and she shifted her weight, bringing two fingers up and between her sensei's ribs, a shot that would have disabled her lung if enough chakra were behind it.

"You've stopped holding back, Hinata."

"S-sorry, Kurenai-sensei."

"No. Hesitating can get you killed on a mission, remember that." Kurenai grinned as he reached up to rub the bruised skin. "It's good that you've grown more confident in your abilities, but you still have much to learn."

"Y-yes…"

"On a mission, you must maintain constant readiness and awareness of your surroundings. An attack can come from anywhere, at any time."

Hinata looked up, puzzled, as Kurenai's tone lightened and her smile widened.

"For example…"

There was a rustle of leaves behind Hinata, and before she could turn around, something landed behind her, two strong arms wrapping tightly around her. Hinata reflexively worked to free herself, even as a familiar face leaned into her field of view.

"Naru-!"

He interrupted her with a kiss, and Kurenai laughed quietly as Hinata's body instantly relaxed and sank into the embrace.

"Got you…"

"What are you doing here?"

"Today's mission was cancelled, so…when is your training finished?"

Hinata turned back to Kurenai, who was already collecting her gear.

"Now, I guess. Why?"

"I just wanted to…you know…do something. With you."

"O-oh…a-alright…"

* * *

The two had left the field hand-in-hand, wandering aimlessly through the training grounds until they had settled on a small hill, lying on the warm grass. Hinata had her eyes closed, resting her head on one of Naruto's arms. Naruto's eyes were open, and he kept them on her smiling face, happy to just watch her lie next to him. 

"Uwaaah…The wonder of young love…"

"Naruto-kun…and Hinata-chan…look so beautiful, just lying there at peace with each other…"

Leaning out from behind a nearby tree, Konoha's beautiful green beasts were in rapture at the scene of youthful love before them, while Tenten sweatdropped at the sight of the green-clad pair from the branch she was crouching on. Neji refused to even look in their general direction.

"Once, so shy, unable to express her love…"

"Now, they are inseparable, a bond that has transformed them both…"

The two fought to hold back tears, and failed miserably.

"Into something-"

"-Truly beautiful!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

The two forgot about the tree between them, and face met bark as they turned towards each other for a manly hug of brotherly love. Between the display and the impact, Tenten nearly lost her footing.

"Huh?"

Naruto looked up at the odd noises behind him to see what looked like Lee and Gai doing something perverted to the tree between them. Hinata stirred as well, moaning softly and trying to pull Naruto back down to her. He was happy to oblige, trying to ignore Fuzzy-brows and his sensei as they tiptoed past, hands over mouths to muffle their squeals of glee. Tenten was next, head bowed and covering her face in shame.

Neji was last, keeping his eyes forward. As he passed by them, Hinata harrumphed and pulled Naruto even closer, tossing an arm around him. Her smile became a smirk, and Naruto smirked with her, pulling her tight, looking at Neji out of the corner of his eye. He offered a trace of a smile and a small nod as he walked past, and Naruto nodded in return before settling fully into the embrace.

* * *

A short while later, the two stood looking at Hinata's sprawling home from the shadows of the buildings around them, the invisible boundary where they inevitably parted ways. They stood silently, as they always would, with a sad expression from them both, slowly letting their hands come apart as Naruto turned away. But this time, when Naruto tried to step away, Hinata didn't let go of his hand. 

"Hinata?"

She hadn't turned around, still looking out towards her home.

"Would you…like to come inside? H-Have some tea with me?"

"But…if anyone sees me…"

"Then…they'll see you with me, so it's alright."

She turned back to him then, smiling nervously.

"S-so please…"

* * *

"Ah, Hinata-sama, welcome h-!" 

The servant snapped upright from the beginning of his bow, eyes wide. Naruto finished taking off his shoes and undid his jacket, holding it out along with Hinata's. He waved it slightly and brought the servant back to reality, and he took the two coats with shaking hands.

"Is my father home?"

"…No, he…is not."

"Whoa…"

Naruto had stepped out into the lavish foyer, which was impressive enough besides being easily the size of his apartment.

"You **live **here?"

"Of course not. Who'd live in the hallway?"

Naruto groaned, rolling his head back to the smiling Hyuuga.

"Would you prepare tea for my guest, and bring it to my room?"

"Your G…"

"Yes." She turned slightly; just enough to face the man, and Naruto saw his face go white. "My **guest.**"

"O-of course! Right away!"

Naruto began to snicker the moment the servant had left.

"Scary..."

"Hrmp."

She brushed past, head held high, and Naruto followed with mock timidity.

* * *

Hinata's room was spotless, so clean that Naruto felt awkward just stepping on the carpet. The room was huge compared to his – everything was. The furniture, the curtains, the bed, it was all on a scale and quality he'd never seen up close. He was afraid to even touch anything, keeping his arms tight to his sides. 

"This is…the first time I've ever had someone in my room."

"But, your teammates and your sensei…"

"No. They were never allowed inside the estate. Well, nothing like that was ever said…but they were never invited inside. And I…I could of invited them in, but I didn't want to risk angering my father."

She ran a finger over a picture frame, the only one in the entire house that Naruto had seen so far. It was Hinata and her teammates, Hinata was blushing, of course, Shino was looking at Kiba askance as he was being jostled, Kiba laughing and trying to get a smile out of him. Above the three, Kurenai-sensei stood proudly, hands on Kiba's and Hinata's shoulders.

"Just having this around seemed to make the elders think even less of me. Even if they were my teammates, they weren't considered to be on the level of the Hyuuga clan."

When Hinata spoke, Naruto finally realized what else was different about the room. Different from his own, from Kiba's, Sakura's or even from Iruka-sensei's home. It was…empty, for lack of a better word. If Hinata hadn't told him this was her room, he might have never known. There was a plant, but no pictures, or posters, sculptures or nick-knacks. It was almost like a hotel room. There wasn't any 'Hinata' in it, other then that one small picture of her team.

"One elder even said…that it suited me, to be associated with such-"

"AHHH!"

She jumped at the sudden interruption, and turned to see Naruto pacing and waving his arms around in shock.

"I completely forgot!"

"What?"

He dropped his arms and stopped his frantic pacing, walking towards her slowly.

"I need to get a picture of you for my nightstand."

He slowly pulled her closer, and she blushed as his voice dropped low and soft.

"I keep waking up…and thinking it had to be a dream…"

"N…Naruto…"

He pulled her tighter before groaning and dropping his head.

"I have to stop reading Ero-sennin's books…I didn't want to hear you talk about yourself like that, but that was just lame…"

"No it wasn't!"

"It wasn't?"

"No…it was…really…"

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

A knock at the door interrupted them at the last moment, and the two jumped away from each other, trying to act as if nothing had happened when Hinata called the servant in. He placed the tea tray on a low table and walked out, staring at the two blushing genin out of the corner of his eye.

"So…"

Hinata cleared her throat and waved distractedly toward the table across from them.

"Tea?"

"Tea would be good!"

"Yeah!"

"Absolutely, I'm mean, it's tea…"

* * *

The white-eyed men stood perfectly still in the foyer, the servants not questioning them when they said they'd wait however long it took for Hiashi to come home. The tone of the speaker's voice had convinced them not to linger, and the heated chakra seeping outwards from him had driven them further into the mansion. 

After what seemed like forever, the door opened, and Hyuuga Hiashi entered, eyes narrowed at the group, annoyance mixing in when he noticed there was no one to take his coat. It increased when one man stepped forward and demanded to speak with him, and Hiashi took a moment longer then needed to hang his own coat at set his sandals aside, watching the other man practically grind his teeth at the wait.

He bowed respectfully once he was ready to greet them properly, and ignored the speaker's ill manners when he didn't bow in reply, inviting them inside. Another man, an elder, stepped up to his side as they walked and _politely _said that there was an important matter to discuss, in private.

As he walked deeper inside, he heard Hinata's laughter.


	2. Chapter 2

When Hiashi first heard the laughter, he thought nothing of it. He had more important things to concern himself with, like half the elders of the Hyuuga clan showing up on his doorstep unannounced. When the group had sat down without ceremony or even token pleasantries, he knew it was serious.

"Hiashi-san, a…situation has come to our attention that requires an immediate response."

"A situation? Of what kind?"

The first man who had spoken to him, the rude one, leaned forward.

"The situation of your daughter fornicating with the damned K-"

"Silence, Hideyoshi!"

Hideyoshi's mouth twisted in a snarl, and the elder fixed him with a glare before turning back to Hiashi.

"A poor choice of words. Simply, she was seen in public showing…affection towards a certain young man."

"With whom? And why would it be such a concern that-"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Hiashi was stunned. The things that Neji had said…he had been **serious?**

"I am taken to understand they were on a date."

"They…WHAT?!"

* * *

Hinata was in heaven. She was _talking _to Naruto. She could hold an actual conversation with him. They were telling each other stories about their missions and their teammates. Naruto even told her a story about himself and Sasuke with a sad smile on his face, and he _never _talked about Sasuke. So she listened quietly and laughed softly and shared that same sad smile with him, watching his eyes lose focus on the now, and wondered what Naruto had to feel for her in order to share this with her.

Hinata was trying to think of something good to talk about, something to brighten the quiet boy across from her, when she felt an odd pressure on her skin. It was a standing joke in Konoha village that the Hyuuga clan had a perverted streak, with the byakugan's ability to see through walls and clothes. It was something that never failed to irk the noble family.

What Hinata felt wasn't a joke. It was the unmistakable feeling of an intense chakra being directed towards her. For a Hyuuga to use the Byakugan inside their home to spy on her was a serious insult, and she wasted no time waking the power in her own blood and turning to focus on the source of the intrusion.

It was her father, surrounded by a dozen of the headmen of her clan, and the expressions on their faces were decidedly less than pleasant. Hiashi twitched slightly in response when she focused on him, looking away from her for a moment. His chakra spiked, and Naruto shifted uncomfortably, looking over his shoulder, not recognizing the feeling for what it was. Hinata saw Hiashi look back to her, raising his hand and jabbing a finger at the floor in front of him, and she stood up almost in reflex, jarring the table with her leg and stumbling towards the door.

"What's wrong, Hinata?"

"I-It's m-my father. He's home. And…he doesn't look happy."

"Oh."

"He wants to speak with me. I'm sorry, I have to…what?"

Naruto was right behind her, reaching out to support her as she wobbled.

"Well, let's go talk to him! I don't think I've ever met him…"

It was that half-smile again, bright but superficial.

"But…"

"C'mon!"

He linked arms with her, pulling her into the hall

"Um, how should I address him…Hiashi-san? Sama? Err…dad?"

"D-!"

Hinata gaped at Naruto in shock, who simply continued to tug on her arm and smile innocently. It wasn't what he said that surprised her, but the implications, and the thoughts that followed washed away any disagreement in a deep crimson blush.

"Umm…Hiashi-san…should be fine…"

* * *

"Honored to meet you, Hiashi-san, Hyuuga elders."

Naruto bowed deep, trying to be as polite and formal as possible with the array of men in front of him that looked amused, flabbergasted, insulted, ready to explode in rage or any combination of the above. To his credit, Hiashi remained stoic and acknowledged him with a nod, his face impassive.

"Uzumaki Naruto. I am told you took my daughter to dinner some nights ago."

"That's correct."

"Why?"

"Well…because I'm in love with Hinata."

A dozen explosive notes would've had less effect on the state of the room. Each man expressed their surprise in a different way, some with a silent curse, some at the top of their lungs. One looked like he was about to have a heart attack. The younger man to Naruto's left had an open expression of disgust on his face. To his right, Hinata's face exploded and she fought to keep herself from fainting.

In front of him, Hiashi remained utterly composed, waiting patiently for the commotion to subside before continuing as if nothing had happened.

"I see. And I assume you feel the same way for him, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded sheepishly, still blushing. Inwardly, Hiashi was fuming. Of all the boys in Konoha, why did it have to be _him?_ It would have been magnitudes of trouble less for him if she had brought home one of her teammates - even being caught with another girl would've been preferable to this.

One of the eldest men started up, a soothing voice suitable for a child.

"Naruto-san, Hinata-sama, you must understand…"

His voice slowly deepened, losing the saccharine sweetness and becoming serious, growing, a voice for drawing attention.

"For the daughter of a noble house, this is a very serious matter. There are matters to be considered. Important issues must be weighed. Uzumaki-san, you should not have gone ahead with this without the blessing of the Hyuuga clan. And you, Hinata-sama, should have known this. You have obligations to the clan. Standards must be upheld."

For some reason, Hiashi was filling with a sense of unease. Something was wrong, something he couldn't place. Byakugan notwithstanding, few things escaped a man like Hyuuga Hiashi, and the fact that he couldn't pinpoint the source of the feeling only made it worse.

"With respect, I gave this matter great consideration. And in terms of standards, while not a member of a noble or even an established clan, Naruto is a ninja of growing strength and renown in Konoha. He has even been taken on as the student of Jiraiya-sama, one of the legendary sannin. I have no doubt Naruto will become a great ninja one day, worthy to carry the Hyuuga name."

There was a strange moment of uncomfortable silence among the elders, and Hiashi felt his unease grow ever larger. Hyuuga family or not, they were still bound not to discuss or even hint at the real reason for their opposition to this union. From the murmurings before Hinata and Naruto had appeared, Hiashi guessed the elders had simply planned to quietly intimidate Hinata into breaking off what they thought to be a simple childish crush. But instead, all this time, whenever someone was speaking, Hinata had never lowered her eyes. She hadn't shown the slightest bit of fear, shame, or hesitation.

Hiashi muttered a very undignified curse under his breath at his daughter's extremely poor choice of timing for growing a spine.

That simple wrinkle had completely bollixed the elder's entire strategy. Hiashi could see it – the elders were at a complete loss as how to continue. It had simply never occurred to them that things wouldn't go as easily as they planned it. Actually, that was giving them too much credit, as they never had a real plan to begin with.

Hinata turned back towards Hiashi, and for the first time in a long time, looked him straight in the eye as she talked to him.

"I realize as a member of a noble family there are customs to be observed in such matters, and I apologize for my error. However, it is my dearest wish to continue my relationship with Naruto…unless there is some specific reason you believe him to be unsuitable?"

He finally realized the source of his worry. Hinata obviously knew the 'specific reason' why they didn't want Naruto being associated with the Hyuuga clan, and that they were explicitly forbidden to speak of it. She had made a point of being seen publicly with Naruto, and the rumor mills of Konoha would make sure that everyone from peasant to Hokage would know of her affection towards him. The Hyuuga clan would naturally be opposed to such a union, and would try to stop it. But with Jiraiya-sama as his patron, and as some rumors stated, Tsunade-sama herself having a liking of him…

Tell her, and break the law directly.

Forbid the union by implying something was amiss, and break the law indirectly.

And now here they all were, the elders running to Hiashi the moment they heard the news to find Hinata and Naruto waiting for them with a plan of their own.

"Do you really want to know?"

The man to Naruto's left, who had been glaring at the two genin throughout the meeting, had risen to one knee, a hand reaching deep into his voluminous sleeves.

"You really want to know the truth about that **thing** sitting next to you!?"

"HIDEYOSHI!"

To the casual observer, the two men flanking Hideyoshi were trying to gently pull him back down, or gesturing for him to be calm, but none of the ninja present missed the hidden promise of violence in the motions and shifting of bodies to allow easier access to weapons carried.

The man paused, his face twisted in rage. Hinata was completely unfazed, turning back to Hiashi with a placid expression on her face as if nothing had happened. Naruto tried to hide it, but he was clearly unsettled.

"We shall discuss this matter and render a decision later. Hinata, Naruto, you are dismissed."

* * *

He was trembling, and Hinata could see it. He had been shaking ever since Hideyoshi had spoken up. As they left the room, Naruto had made the same motion as when he had first been asked why everyone seemed to hate him, clutching a hand to his stomach. Hinata quickly reached out and pulled the arm away, linking it with hers. He glanced sidelong at her, and she expected a smile, some show that the contact had reassured him.

Instead, Naruto was afraid of her.

How she would react when she found out. What she would think of him. If he would lose what he had just found. Hinata saw it all in his eyes and his posture. He was even only walking next to her because she was pulling him along. The slightest push or pull directed him, too afraid to go against her in such a little thing. When they arrived in the foyer and she let go of his arm, he went straight for his coat and shoes, not looking at her, not talking, not breathing.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto."

He froze, his hand on the door.

"Yeah…tomorrow."

He smiled back at her, that horrible fake smile that made her insides twist, and left without another word, leaving Hinata to curl up alone in her oversized room, feeling the edges of angry shouts and waves of emotion from the elders gathered on the other side of the compound.


	3. Chapter 3

It was barely dawn and Naruto was walking alone, his head low. He hadn't gotten any sleep last night, and hadn't been able to stomach any breakfast. But he'd manage like he'd always done, because he had a mission today. He'd bad days before and that was no reason to put it off. He put a smile on as he waved to Sakura, and saw her give him this _look _like…

Like…there was something really weird-

Any further thoughts were cut off at a whoop and a tackle from behind, and he hit the ground with a weight on his back that purred as it wrapped itself around him.

"Good morning, Naruto!"

"H-H-Hinata?!"

Hinata hummed and nuzzled her face into Naruto's neck, nipping at his ear as she went. Sakura was gawking open-mouthed, Kakashi looked up from his book in the tree he was hiding in, and Naruto was trying to get his face out of the dirt.

"W-what are you doing?"

"I told you I'd see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"And you were acting like you didn't believe me." Hinata's voice dropped, and she stopped her attack on Naruto's ear. "I can't imagine why…"

Naruto stopped moving, only turning his head to look at her as Hinata sat up, still on top of him, crossing her arms and pouting down at him.

"But…"

"I love you…but you can be really stupid sometimes, you know?"

"Hey!"

Hinata bent back down, talking as she wiped the dirt off his face.

"Now…I have the day free, so when you get back, we'll do something together, alright?"

"Alright!"

With his face cleaned and brightened, Hinata leaned down to give him a quick kiss, and Naruto's body followed her back up as she rose, trying to prolong the contact. He reached out to hold her still and give her a kiss of his own, the two slowly sinking back to the ground.

* * *

Hinata was glowing when she appeared in the dining room, sliding into her seat with a smile on her face and dirt on her clothes. Hiashi looked up for a scroll he was reading just long enough for him to realize he probably didn't want to know. 

But he'd have to ask regardless.

"Hinata."

"I had to deliver a message."

He didn't bat an eye at the curt response, feeling the tinge of nervousness rippling through the bright bubble around her. A few minutes of quiet eating later, the feeling of unease spiked.

"Father…"

"The elders haven't come to a decision yet."

Their plates were taken away, and a small gesture from Hiashi made the servants disappear as well.

"If it wasn't for…_that…_would there even be such a discussion?"

"Of course. Only…" Hiashi's eyes narrowed, and he reached up to rub one temple. "It wouldn't have been nearly as _loud._"

"I'm sorry. But I really do love him, more than anything. I wish you could see that…"

"I do. I might even be willing to admit that Naruto has some potential worth the notice of the Hyuuga. But this matter goes far beyond any simple test for admittance. Your actions have fixed the eyes of the entire village on our clan, and there are many awaiting our response to this. We are now forced to answer unspoken questions, and no matter what we decide, the repercussions will be serious."

He turned to her, and without a speck of his chakra, his eyes and words froze her heart solid.

"Understand this. Even allowing Naruto to live to maturity was a decision that nearly split the village. Those that sympathize for him will look on us favorably if we permit this union. And for those that hate him, their feelings will attach to anyone close to him. The Hyuuga family as a whole, if we accept him, myself, for making him my son, and most especially to **you**, for daring to love him. You can be **sure **there are those who suffer his life only by the order of protection placed over him by the Hokage. Hideyoshi is one of many, and they will **not** sit idly by with this new situation…be on your guard, Hinata."

Hiashi tapped a miniature gong with his fingertip, and the servants flooded back into the room, going about their duties as if nothing had happened. Hiashi stood and left without another word, leaving a shaking, frightened Hinata that was only now beginning to realize the enormity of the situation, doubly so because she knew that there was still so much she didn't know yet.

* * *

"Kyuubi." 

The pencil tapped a doodle of a fox with nine tails, and drew a line from it to a spiky-haired face with whisker marks.

"Naruto."

In the middle of that line, Kiba drew an extra-large question mark.

"Kyuubi, Naruto, Yondaime."

Another doodle.

"Yondaime killed the Kyuubi, dying in the process."

Another line, with a one-way arrow from the dead Hokage to the demon fox.

"But the villagers hate Naruto…"

A clump of angry faces. A line pointing from them to Naruto.

"Even through the fox is dead."

After staring at the paper until his vision blurred, Kiba flopped back onto his bed, rubbing his eyes and trying to remember something, anything that might get rid of that damned question mark. It was the lynchpin, the one thing that would make sense of everything.

"Ahhhh…where's that lazy bastard when you need him?"

* * *

He didn't like anything that didn't involve lying on warm, dry grass and watching the clouds float by. Not thinking, not moving, not the stupid things people insisted on doing. 

_Get in my way, and I'll kill you…_

But he liked Naruto. Kinda.

_I won't be killed by the likes of you!_

Not like his teammates, or Asuma-sensei, or his family. Just as a very loud acquaintance. But he did understand pain, and knew damn well that he had no idea what life had been like for Naruto while he was growing up, alone and hated. So when the almost-as-loud Inuzuka had dragged him away, he had put on his best scowl and placated himself by deciding it would mean a ton of good karma to help out. A few minutes of thinking would be exchanged for a better, more peaceable life in the long run.

And now, a week later, Shikamaru regretted it more then anything else in this life.

_His strength is that of a monster, don't you understand that, Naruto?_

Because he'd realized he simply didn't need to know.

_I have a real monster inside of me…I won't lose to the likes of him! _

Didn't need to. Didn't want to. Not being presented with something that completely changed the way he thought about someone. Not the worry or the indecision.

_Then…it's the same for me…as you said, I had a messed up childhood…_

Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably at the sound of a familiar dog's barking, not needing to look to know Kiba was approaching.

_I was born a monster…_

"A possession jutsu…"

"Hey, Shikamaru!"

Kiba appeared next to him, trying to get his breathing under control. Akamaru poked his nose into Shikamaru's hair, but he didn't move an inch.

"I've been thinking…"

"Have you figured it out?"

"Huh? No…not yet…I'm close, I think…Have you figured it out yet?"

Shikamaru turned, slowly, away from his clouds, to look at Kiba's happy, ignorant face.

Shikamaru didn't need any of it. And he would never give that feeling to anyone else.

"I'm beginning to think it's nothing. Just some useless family history that stupid grown-ups insist on dragging around."

"You're sure? I mean, I feel like it's more then that…"

"Does it matter? If there **was** something, do you think the Hokage would let Hinata get that close to Naruto? No, even Kurenai-sensei would have warned her to stay away from him the moment she found out about her feelings for him. And the Kyuubi killed iruka-sensei's parents, remember? He would never have supported Naruto if they were connected somehow."

"I…guess…"

Shikamaru turned back to his clouds, waited, as Kiba silently absorbed what he heard, eyes half-closed in thought, before slowly turning to leave, stopping after a moment.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

"Knowing them? They'll be fine."

"Heh. You're right."

Kiba and Akamaru went on their way, feeling a little more confident that everything would turn out all right. Shikamaru lay staring at the clouds for a little while longer, before standing and looking across the city of Konoha, and all the people within. And at all the people that hated Naruto, and wouldn't sit still as he tried to live happily ever after.

"How troublesome…"

He was happy for the two of them, but Shikamaru just **knew **he'd get dragged into the coming mess somehow…


	4. Chapter 4

"Hiashi-sama, you cannot be seriously considering this…this…travesty!"

Hiashi resisted the urge to massage his aching skull in front of the other elders, and forced himself to suppress a sigh as well. The other men around him quickly voiced their own objections, which only served to add to his misery. He had been practically ambushed by the men during his midday meal, barging into his home and apparently hoping to change his mind through sheer weight of annoyance.

"Enough."

He took a moment to sip his tea. It had grown cold.

"To allow this would-"

Hiashi's tea…was **cold.**

"-the effect on the Hyuuga-"

The cup was set down gently, in the precise spot he had picked it up from, smoothing out his robes even as the tirade continued.

"Hiashi-sama? Are you-"

The resulting pressure-wave of pure chakra made the walls bend outwards slightly, and Hiashi stood, bowing respectfully to those present.

"Rest assured, I will give your opinions due consideration when I render my decision. For now, I apologize, but there are other matters I must tend to. Good day."

He bowed once again before leaving his guests to collect themselves and leave, stepping over one groaning form and carefully dislodging another that was lodged halfway through the door he wanted to go through.

* * *

Naruto's mission had taken most of the day, and the sun was low on the horizon by the time he and his team arrived at the gates of Konoha. Naruto broke into a run as a small shape appeared above a nearby rooftop, leaping up and heading away from the route that lead to the Hokage's office.

"Where do you think you're going, Naruto?"

"It's all right, Sakura."

Kakashi suddenly sounded…weird.

"But…the mission debriefing…"

"You'll understand, someday…"

Kakashi walked past slowly, a faraway look in his eye.

"When you have someone waiting for you…"

* * *

"I'm sorry…I didn't think it'd take so long…"

"It's alright…"

Hinata leaned her head onto Naruto's shoulder, and he blushed at the contact. The two were relaxing in his apartment after it had begun to rain, wet jackets hanging awkwardly on a string tied to a doorknob on one end and a light fixture on the other.

"So…have you…heard anything?"

Hinata only shivered and tightened her grip on him. Naruto didn't know what else to do or say, so he only put an arm around her and pulled her close. The lights flickered out as they often did during a storm, the wiring faulty and the building manager having no desire to fix it for him.

It wasn't so bad, being in the dark…when there was someone else with you.

It was peaceful, and Naruto didn't want it to end…but when he opened his eyes a few minute later, blinking in the darkness, he saw that it was way past sundown, and Hinata had fallen asleep.

"Oh man…"

What do you do with a beautiful girl that's fallen asleep in your arms?

Naruto's first thought was that Hinata was very soft and smelled very nice.

His second thought was that her father was going to kill him.

The third thought was a little more rational, and he carefully picked up the sleeping girl and crept to the bedroom, quietly creating two copies and sending them ahead to grab some clean sheets for the futon. When that was done he set her down and pulled the covers over her, looking at with what little starlight filtered through the windows. He sat down next to her and let himself enjoy the sight until he tipped over as well.

The two copies stuffed a spare pillow under his head, smiled and shrugged to each other, and vanished.

* * *

"Huh? This place is…"

He was inside his own mind again, the place that Jiraiya had led him to that first time. It was certainly a lot cleaner this time around, the water on the floor receding and the lights providing a clear glow. He saw memories in portrait form, brushing his fingers over fond ones as he passed, and rents in the walls that made him feel old wounds from fists and blades when he looked at them.

Corridors that led…elsewhere…beckoned to him, but he passed them by. He turned down one without thinking and the ceiling soared into the distance, a blue sky above and below him, a room-no, it was a temple.

The temple of Hinata.

Every pose captured in sculpture, every smile in a frame, first date, first meeting, first kiss, all were there, clear as crystal and frozen in time, perfect recollections carved into the walls themselves.

It was beautiful…

"It's a bit much, c'mon…"

He took one last look over his shoulder before stepping outside, and the world seemed to shrink, twist, tug at him. In a moment, he stood inside a room he knew all too well.

"What do you want, freeloader?"

Raw fury gathered behind the seal, and a face slammed sideways against the bars, an oversized pupil set in a gelatinous eye squeezing between the bars to focus on him.

"So…my little host has found a mate…"

"Her name is Hinata, bastard!"

"Hinata…lovely for a human, I suppose…do you think you'll be able to hold on to her?"

"Of course!"

The massive fox laughed humorlessly, rolling his head so the other eye could stare at him.

"Do you really think that?"

"I'll do anything it takes to be with her! I'll get her family to accept me somehow! So shut up! I love her! And she loves me!"

"Yesssss…she does love you. **Most **of you."

"Most of? What are you…"

The head vanished into the darkness for a moment…before slamming against the bars with such force that the entire world shook and screamed on a level that made Naruto press his hands over his ears in pain.

"BUT THERE'S MORE TO YOU THEN EVEN HER WHITE EYES CAN SEE!"

The kyuubi lowered his head to Naruto's level, lips pulled back and eyebrows raised, a venomous parody of curiosity.

"So…when _are _you going to tell her about me?"

"I…"

The Kyuubi took no small pleasure in the pain he felt flowing throughout the dream-world, and felt that part of Naruto's mind dedicated to Hinata wither and grey.

"I will. I'll tell her! The moment she's awake!"

"Ohhh? I'll be holding you to that, human…"

Naruto turned to leave, the voice of the Kyuubi drifting out once again, sweet and cheerful.

"Good luck then! Really, I wish you two well…for as long as this seal holds, at least…"

"Hey, Kyuubi…that seal is gonna hold for as long as I live…cause the second I think I'm going to lose to you…"

Naruto turned back just enough to look the Kyuubi square in the eye, and fixed him with a gaze that made even that ancient monster pause.

"I'll cut myself open and rip out my own heart, before I give you a chance to hurt Hinata."

The two stared at each other, at one side, a young human, barely a man, on the other, the Kyuubi, who was centuries old, powerful beyond measure, and utterly without remorse, pity, or compassion.

But he wasn't stupid.

Naruto held the monster's gaze until the Kyuubi slunk away from the bars and out of sight in the depths of the seal. And then he left himself, looking for the stairwell that led back to the waking world, and the words he'd been dreading to have to say.


	5. Chapter 5

Hinata… 

Naruto opened his eyes to a mess of dark hair. Sometime in the night they'd found each other and moved closer, the blanket half-covering them and the futon off to one side.

He **wanted **to tell her, to not hold anything back, to be accepted by her, but a part of him was still hoping for a way out. An excuse not to have to tell her, not to risk her face twisting with fear or hatred, some way to just lie there, peacefully, without worrying about demon foxes or politics or what anyone else thought of them.

Naruto… 

She was _there, _right where she'd always wanted to be. Alone, together with the man she'd gone from feeling admiration, to attraction, to love.

And she wished, more then anything, that this was all there was, that there was no dark secret that had to be dragged out, no last hurdle that might make her stumble and ruin everything. Something that might actually make her hate Naruto.

So they lay there, holding tightly to the other, waiting for that one breath, tiny noise, or slightest motion that would break the illusion of perfection.

They had five minutes of peace before the sunrise.

* * *

"Hinata, I…I have to tell you something."

Hinata's smile faltered, and she pulled away, sitting up and nodding. Naruto licked his lips and tried to salvage the feeling of certainty he'd had only a moment before.

"A…A long time ago, when the-"

There was a knock at the door, and Naruto looked towards the sound reflexively before remembering what he was doing.

"Um…Yondaime Hokage…err…no wait, first, there was the-"

There was a second, louder knock on the door. Hinata was the one to look away this time, and Naruto waited as she nervously returned her attention to him.

Hands went out, found each other, and gripped tightly, Naruto locking eyes with Hinata's.

"When I was born, the Kyu-"

There was a third knock. Followed by a wave of chakra that Naruto felt in his **bones.**

"Maybe…I should…"

He stood and staggered to the door, feeling the chakra of the person beyond simmering, like water coming to a boil. He opened the door with shaking hands, and stood frozen on the spot as white eyes bored into him.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Hyuuga Hiashi stood, hands clasped, the picture of calm, save for the chakra that was making the old paint on the walls crack and peel.

"I'm looking for my _daughter._"

"U-u-um H-H-Hinata, s-someone's here t-to…"

"What? Who is-father!"

"Hinata. I grew concerned when you didn't return home last night."

"Oh! I-I'm s-sorry, it was late, and I didn't realize how tired I was…"

"You slept…here?"

Hinata's eyes twitched in Naruto's direction, her face blushing brightly. Naruto smiled slightly, before the full weight of Hiashi's attention fell upon him, and Naruto suddenly felt very, very tiny.

"And where were _you _sleeping?"

"Um…somewhere…else?"

Hinata almost thought Hiashi was about to throttle Naruto then and there. But instead, he straightened, seemed to relax, and cast his gaze past them both, into the apartment.

"Might I come inside?"

"Of…of course…"

Naruto and Hinata stepped back as Hiashi entered, taking in the state of Naruto's apartment as he did. Secondhand couch. Cabinets rescued from the trashman at the last moment. Worn-down carpets. Everything was weather-beaten and half-restored, faded and pale. Even in the dim light, Hiashi's white robe was practically glaring.

"The Hyuuga elders and I…have given this matter due consideration, and decided that you, Uzumaki Naruto, will be allowed…"

Naruto whooped and tackled Hinata, bouncing and laughing with her in his arms, and Hinata managed a quiet laugh before Hiashi cleared his throat loudly, making the both of them pause and turn back to him.

"Will be allowed to petition for admittance into the Hyuuga clan."

"…Huh?!"

"You're going to test him?"

"Yes. It is a series of tests designed to screen those who might desire entrance into our clan, gauging both raw talent as a ninja and for other…noble qualities. Passing these tests is the **only **way you two might stay together."

"So…I just have to pass these tests, right?"

"Yes. Then you may continue your courtship until the appropriate time for marriage. I assume you have nothing less then a life-long commitment in mind?"

"Of course!"

"I see you are sincere in this. Very well. Then I must be honest with you."

Hiashi tensed, and his presence expanded throughout the room, and he seemed to loom over Naruto as he spoke.

"I **do not **like you, for reasons both personal and for the trouble you have made for me and my clan. But you have shown sufficient ability as a ninja, and you have supporters with significant political weight behind their words, so I will allow you to take these tests, in deference to that. **However…**there are many that despise you, Hyuuga included, and they stand on more than equal ground with your sympathizers. In deference to _them, _the tests will be many times more difficult than normal, and I **will not** support you in any way. Do you understand?"

Naruto stood his ground, and nodded quietly. Hiashi seemed to relax slightly, becoming less menacing, even his voice softening a tiny bit.

"Then all I may tell you is that it begins immediately, here and now, and continues until it is decided that you have passed or failed. You are also forbidden from speaking to each other until the test is complete. Hinata, it is time to leave."

The two Hyuuga straightened and put on a formal air, with only a tiny smile from Hinata to show her feelings as she bowed, and Hiashi offered a very formal farewell before he turned to leave, leaving Naruto to stand awkwardly, staying behind and watching the two head towards the door.

Hinata, from her place behind her father, peeked at him over her shoulder and nodded towards the door.

The _closed _door that his guests were walking towards.

The rush of air from Naruto sprinting past ruffled Hiashi's hair, and Naruto barely managed to open the door in time and bow, offering clumsy thanks for visiting his home. Hiashi thanked Naruto for his hospitality and Hinata breathed a sigh of relief as she passed, and Naruto racked his brain for whatever else he might be supposed to do, thinking about all the formal gestures and procedures he had seen other people do.

A minute later, he realized the Hyuuga were out of sight, and he slumped against the wall.

"…I'm so dead…I don't know any of that stuff…who would…"

He had a flash of inspiration and reached for his jacket, never realizing he'd forgotten something very important.

* * *

"SAKURA-CHAAN!"

A hyperventilating blonde hurdled through the open window and landed on the desk his teammate was sitting at.

"I need you to teach me how to be formal and polite and diplomatic and all that stuff!"

"Well…one of the most important things is…"

"What what what?"

"LEARN TO USE THE DOOR, STUPID!"

Sakura upended the desk and dropped Naruto to the floor, and then stood up and stomped over to him.

"And don't get dirty footprint on my desk!"

Sakura reached down and lifted him off the ground, using him to bodily scrub at the dirt he'd left and tossing him away when she was satisfied.

"Please!"

Sakura sighed and sat back down, trying to put the papers she was reading back in order.

"It's going to be part of some tests I have to pass if I want to marry Hinata! And they're going to be super hard on me too! Please please please please-"

"You're asking the impossible…wait…did you say 'marry Hinata?"

Naruto quieted, and his expression turned from pleading to deadly serious.

"I love Hinata. I know I'm only going to get one shot at this, and everyone is against it. And…"

Indecision replaced certainty on Naruto's face.

"I have no idea how I'm going to win this…"

"…Come back here at seven tonight. I'll see what I can-"

Naruto flew through the air and wrapped her in a hug.

"Sakura-chan, I knew I could count on you! Even through you can be really crazy and violent and not very girlie sometimes…"

Without a moment's warning, Naruto was sent flying back out through the open window.

* * *

Later that night, at precisely seven o'clock, Naruto knocked on Sakura's door, and was ushered upstairs to find Ino and Tenten waiting for them.

"Huh? What are you two doing here?"

"It's standard…"

Ino opened a case at her side, pulling something out that looked like a brush.

"A three-woman team…"

Tenten unrolled a piece of cloth that held dozens of small, unpleasant-looking tools.

The door closed behind him, and Naruto heard the sound of a lock falling into place. Sakura stood in front of the door with her arms crossed and with a smirk on her face.

"For a mission like this."

The three girls began to encircle him.

"Wha…what are you three…"

"It's just the first step."

Tenten tensed, raising a comb that might as well be a poisoned blade with the feeling she was exuding.

"First impressions are important. You can't approach the Hyuuga elders looking like _that._"

Ino sighted down the length of the brush at her target, and Naruto backed away nervously, right into Sakura's waiting arms, and he was pinned instantly.

Sakura possessed inhuman strength. He couldn't escape.

The girls leapt.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the wait. And thank you for reminding me to continue this (you know who you are)

I'm beginning to think I work much better with the occasional poking...

* * *

Katsurou and Takemaru moved quickly through the streets of Konoha, weaving between the lower citizens and careful to avoid touching the grubbiest of them. Yesterday, Takemaru had been tasked with delivering a notice to Uzumaki Naruto that declared he was to be prepared to present himself to the Hyuuga elders at a certain time, which was just minutes from now. But Takemaru had never realized the 'boy' he'd handed the scroll to was actually the same man walking beside him now.

Katsurou knew his friend well, and knew how to deflect any suspicion. Now, all his experience with his friend of many years went to preparing for the meeting with a boy who would declare loudly and certainly that he'd never received any notice, and that he was completely unprepared to stand before the elders.

His friendship with Takemaru also worked to dull his anger. He knew Takemaru was young, with a brash voice common to this latest generation that did not always know when to remain silent. He'd heard Takemaru's laughter, seen the sparkle in his eye when he'd heard the news that the container of the Kyuubi was vying for Hinata's hand in marriage.

But to see this as some kind of joke? How Takemaru could see such a thing so lightly was completely beyond him! He had no _particular_ hatred for the boy, of course. He did not share the more extreme opinions that some held, not at all. He only did this small thing because the political support Naruto possessed was no reason to even be_ considered_ for entry. The child was simply not worthy of mixing his blood with that of Konoha's strongest and most noble clan.

That was why he did what he did, to counter those who might attempt to worm their way into such a noble house through dishonorable means. Unlike some, Katsurou would never work counter to a degree of the elders out of some ridiculous personal opinion.

It was not his place.

The two men arrived in the run-down complex where Naruto lived, climbing creaking stairs to a door that was farther from all the other occupied apartments. There were voices seeping through the doorframe, soft tones that seemed out of place for what they knew of him. Takemaru knocked firmly but politely, a half-a-smile on his lips. He'd happily risk a little reprimand for the chance to eavesdrop later on the bedlam that was bound to ensue when Naruto appeared for his first formal test.

Katsurou was hiding his smile, looking forwards to the bedlam that would be happening in the next few minutes.

But when the door opened, it wasn't Naruto. It was a girl neither of them recognized, a kunoichi with her hair in buns.

"Yes?"

"We are here to escort Uzumaki Naruto to his meeting with Hyuuga Hiashi-sama."

The confusion registered clearly on her face. As Katsurou had hoped, the announcement was completely unexpected. Being unprepared for this, the first formal test, would be utterly-

"Tenten-san, do we have guests?"

Unforgiva…wha…?

The voice was neither loud nor frantic, but calm and controlled. The level tone of his voice told Katsurou something was wrong, and as the girl stepped to one side, the two men could see Naruto standing calmly in the hallway, seeming perfectly unsurprised by their arrival.

Naruto's hair had been trimmed; the usual wild spikes tamed somewhat. His skin looked like it had been almost polished, and the fingernails peeking out from the long sleeves he wore practically _sparkled._ The faintest trace of makeup hid the rough wear of a ninja's life and accented Naruto's natural features, clearly the work of an expert.

Even more surprising was his outfit. The lack of orange on Naruto seemed to have an even bigger effect on the eyes then the usual obnoxious colors he tromped about in. Naruto stepped forwards in a fine formal robe in muted, earthly tones with pure write highlights, and his movements were careful and measured to not shift or wrinkle the fabric in the slightest.

Katsurou was beside himself, a greeting offered by Takemaru drawing attention away from his shocked expression. If Naruto noticed, he gave no indication, bowing to Takemaru and replying in the most proper form imaginable.

* * *

How?

Bid farewell and good luck by two other girls, Naruto had accompanied his escort down the stairs and out the building with his head held high and a casual stride that showed little anxiety.

How did he know?

Did someone see him intercept the messenger? Impossible! Was there someone acting on his behalf within the Hyuuga household itself? Yes! That must be it, someone showing favor for Naruto, likely as part of some ridiculous political maneuvering.

Katsurou fumed as people stopped and stared at the procession. Whispers flew as the three passed, a dozen different expressions worn among the people in the crowd.

If only an escort had not been required! No, that would have made no difference…however Naruto knew, he was unlikely to gain any points for raising the issue of the undelivered notice when he appeared at the Hyuuga complex, escorted or not. Strategy dictated that doing so might give a clue to how he'd yet managed to receive the information, and potentially expose his ally…no, Naruto was playing the ignorant. Let him.

The three went their separate ways at the gates to the main house, Katsurou vowing to find whoever was risking the sanctity of the bloodline for the sake of some personal machination.

Takemaru would double back to a position he'd prepared ahead of time, just close enough to enjoy the show.

Naruto was simply trying to keep from freaking out at the suddenness of it all. Really, wasn't he going to get **any **warning about this stuff? Sakura, Ino and Tenten had been giving him cram lessons on proper behavior for the past three days, making him wear these ridiculous outfits he'd been told he'd be expected to wear just so he could get used to them…

It had taken hours just learning how to drink tea without those oversized sleeves getting soaked!

* * *

"You don't **have **to learn how to act like a noble!"

"Huh?"

Ino sighed and shook her head, sitting back as Sakura and Tenten poked at Naruto's face with their brushes and held up different tones and colors of makeup for approval.

"There are a few things you need to know for sure…like how and when to do certain things, but when it comes down to it…think of it like an infiltration scenario where you have an incomplete knowledge of the person you're attempting to impersonate."

A quick hand seal transformed Ino into the perfect image of Hyuuga Hiashi, and 'he' crossed his legs and adjusted his posture, filling in the filling of the nobleman so perfectly that Naruto twitched involuntarily under his glare.

"There are certain expectations you will be held to while speaking to the Hyuuga elders." The voice was Hiashi's, perfectly blended with the stern expression on his face. "Particularly…" The voice changed, louder, higher-pitched and with a different rhythm to it. "You need to control your natural way of speaking, dattebayo!"

Ino reappeared in a puff of smoke, while the girls snickered at the way she'd made Hiashi sound. Naruto was frowning as if he'd been insulted somehow.

"Don't volunteer anything unnecessary, don't assume anything, and when in doubt, just copy the tone of the people you're speaking too. Keep the same volume along with the same speed and rhythm, and try not to let too much emotion show, understand?"

"Yeah!"

"…You really understood all that?"

* * *

As the doors to the main hall opened before him, Naruto made the seals for _henge _inside the voluminous sleeves he wore, trying to imagine himself on a mission on a foreign country, trying to bluff his way into an enemy stronghold. With the way everyone spoke in measured and even tones, the way everyone moved so carefully around each other, it wasn't such a difficult thing to imagine.

And this time around, his didn't have Hinata with him. She'd been a…an anchor, someone who moved and acted in a way he'd expect in an otherwise strange place. But now he was alone without a single reference to the way he expected things to work. There were so many little things that he couldn't but his finger on, drawing his attention and distracting him from what he was supposed to be doing.

The way they spoke, the way they stood, even they way they were just looking at each other…

Not once in his life had Naruto ever thought the familiar way they looked at _him _could ever be so reassuring.

The procession of servants and guides slid down one long corridor after another, the liquid rhythm only slightly disrupted as they turned a corner or a door was opened for them. Naruto was nervously following their every step, trying to remember the advice that had been given him.

Watch the way they move, when they move, when they stop. His steps quickened into openings that appeared in front of him, the robes hiding the awkward steps that corrected the amount of space between himself and those around him when he began to drift. Everything was practiced, precise, mechanical, and Naruto ground a thumbnail into his own skin to throw off the almost hypnotic effect it had on his attention.

Minutes, or maybe even hours later, the procession stopped before a large and intricately painted set of doors. They slid open to reveal Hyuuga Hiashi standing calmly with a half-dozen other men, all looking at him with carefully neutral expressions.

Every muscle in his body ached from snapping between tension and forced relaxation. His head ached from the sudden stop and he clamped down on the desire to keep blindly walking forwards behind those who stepped around him.

Naruto responded with the correct words when spoken to, stepped forwards the precise distance and bowed at just the right depth to each man in turn. Servants brought tea before vanishing without a sound, the ornate doors sliding shut behind Naruto without a sound, and Hiashi bade him to sit.

* * *

The tea was bitter, the room cold, and Naruto got the distinct impression that things had been set up to make him as uncomfortable as possible. The questions had started simple enough, but quickly grew more personal, more pointed, every decision and mission picked over. Sasuke was a favorite subject of theirs.

To his left and right, he was flanked by a trio of men, elders of the Hyuuga clan, every gaze more disapproving then the last. At any other place or time, Naruto wouldn't have hesitated to let them know exactly what they could have done with their opinions, but he couldn't. He had to bite his tongue and sit still and be perfectly polite no matter what they said or how they said it.

Directly in front of him, Hiashi sat calmly, his expression flat and neutral, silent as he sipped his tea and allowed the elders to do the talking. Even though he hadn't yet said anything throughout the entire conversation, only observing him in the most casual sense of the word, Hiashi's presence was constantly tugging at Naruto's focus throughout the meeting.

Too late, Naruto realized someone had spoke and he hadn't been paying attention.

"What was that?"

Too brusque a reply, much too casual and not even listening to begin with? The elders were practically bouncing in their seats at Naruto's faux pas.

"I _said_…what ultimately makes you think you are worthy to marry Hinata-sama?"

Naruto's eyes lowered, and the sudden pall that formed over him had the nobles grinning to themselves, leaning forwards as far as politely possible to see the gloomy expression on his face.

"I…don't know if I am worthy. I mean I still can't really understand why…how…she could love me. I'm know still just a genin. I don't have alot of money or anything like that. But she still gave me something…something that I've never had before, and all I really have to give in return is my life…"

The noble to Hiashi's right nearly laughed out loud. To him, it was a childish reasoning that might as well have come out of one of those ridiculous books that Naruto's sensei w-

"Of course."

The assembled men, Naruto included, jumped in their seats at the first words Hiashi had spoke since they had been seated.

"Nothing less than an absolute dedication to Hinata and the Hyuuga family would be acceptable. But simple dedication is not sufficient. You must possess the qualities needed to bear the Hyuuga name in time of both war and peace. That level of strength and wisdom is something you must yet show us."

Naruto tensed, shifting in his seat and focusing on Hiashi in return. Hiashi only set his teacup down and returned the look, giving Naruto his full attention and nothing more.

"If I need strength, I'll train. If there's something I need to know, I'll learn it. I'll do whatever it takes!"

"You certainly seem determined, I will give you that." One of the men, a rail-thin figure with a narrow beard, leaned forwards casually as he spoke. "But it is easy enough to _say _that you are worthy of our notice, and a great many have said much to us in that regard. How are you any different?"

Perhaps it was the one of conditions the elders had set up to distract him, or being tired from the extended questioning, but Naruto's voice suddenly held an edge that was well outside the bounds of polite discourse.

"Because I'm not doing this for money or for politics or because someone else wants me too**. **I'm doing this because I'm in love, and I'd bet _that's_ something you've never heard before!"

The illusion of calm tore away from the man's posture, and he snapped straight upwards, his body going stiff and rigid. The elder's face began contorting in anger, and while a part of Naruto realized he'd crossed a line somewhere the rest of him didn't care. The clear chime of a bell sounded before anything more was said, and all eyes went to see Hiashi's hand retreating from the small bell had had sat quietly throughout the entire meeting.

Wall panels slid away, and any unpleasant expressions were suppressed as servants appeared and bustled about, gathering cups and trays and vanishing without a sound.

Hiashi stood without warning, followed by the other men present and with Naruto quickly mimicking the motion, biting down on the protests from his stiff legs. Hiashi's expression was still carefully neutral, while Naruto could plainly see the other men casting careful glances at Hiashi and each other. The man that Naruto had told off was quietly seething, apparently unhappy that he'd been unable to respond.

"We are honored, to see such sincerity in the desire to prove yourself worthy of the Hyuuga name. But it is time to part ways for now. Return home and prepare yourself, for soon your words and your conviction will be put to the test."

Naruto heard a sound behind him, Half-looking over his shoulder to see a door opening and a pair of servants standing at attention. He turned back to Hiashi, mind spinning and trying to re-focus on what was said and what was happening, and what he was supposed to do in return.

"I…am grateful, for this…"

Naruto's voice trailed off, completely lost. He fell into a deep bow, grateful at least they couldn't see the expression of desperation on his face, and he tried to pull himself together as he straightened.

"Thank you."

Hiashi gave a slight bow in reply, and Naruto bowed a second time before turning to leave, racking his brain and hoping he hadn't forgotten anything else on the way out.

"Hiashi-sama…"

"Yes?"

"Why did you stop the interview?"

Hiashi might've thought the man's choice of words humorous if he hadn't been forced to sit through the 'interview.' While he could understand the other's dislike of Naruto, he'd truly expected more questions and less veiled insults. Most of the comments, worded in the graceful style of insulting other noblemen without _actually _saying anything undignified had gone right over Naruto's head, but Hiashi knew enough had been caught by the growing flashes of anger in the young man's eyes. While Naruto should have shown more self-restraint, Hiashi didn't care to let one of the Hyuuga's feelings about the Kyuubi push the two of them to the point of starting a brawl in his house.

"It grows late, and I believe everything that needed to be said has been said and understood by all. I believe we should move on and decide who shall render the next test…"

**That **was a topic that the elders discussed with relish, and Hiashi listened to their debate carefully. Since it was his daughter involved, his only function in the testing would be, by tradition, only to formally acknowledge or deny a suitor's worthiness when the elders had completed the testing. But this was as far from an ordinary case as possible, and Hiashi knew it was in his clan's best interests to monitor the situation very carefully. Denying Naruto's request to marry Hinata would not result in a loss of face for the clan, but only after the course of a proper examination. While a little provocation in itself might be a worthwhile test of Naruto's personality, Hiashi was beginning to fear that the a few raised voices were the least of his worries. The Hyuuga's pride was beginning to work against them, and if the elders made the mistake of choosing someone for the next test who attempted to bring a personal vendetta into the matter...

Hiashi would have be ready to apply a fair hand in the proceedings to avoid any serious incidents _without_ appearing to favor the boy, and based on what he was hearing from the elders now, both he and Naruto would have to move very carefully during the next test.


	7. Chapter 7

Whew! Long time away, thanks for the reminders. Sorry, but I have a lot to do and so little ability to focus on what's important.

* * *

"It was crazy! I thought I was dead! They were all 'Like we'd let you anywhere near Hinata!' and I was all 'HA! I'll take on the whole Hyuuga clan if I have to!"

Iruka laughed between mouthfuls of ramen as he listened to Naruto's frenzied retelling of his ordeal before the Hyuuga elders. Without the usual orange glare to draw his eye, Iruka almost had passed Naruto in the street without recognizing him. When Naruto had stopped to say hello, Iruka found himself looking at the top of Naruto's head as he'd bowed deeply in greeting. It'd taken an invitation to dinner and three bowls of ramen to get the blond back to his usual self.

"But Hiashi was just 'HRMM' and staring at me the whole time and I had no idea what he was thinking …"

"He wasn't questioning you?"

"Nope!"

"Strange…Out of everyone, I'd expect him to be one of your biggest opponents."

"Yeah. It's weird, but he hasn't been too hard on me."

Iruka tipped the last of the soup into his mouth, thinking back to the conversations he'd had with the Hokage. Tsunade knew full well that the memory of the Kyuubi's attack would likely never be forgotten. Feelings of anger, fear and resentment still permeated the village, a pained atmosphere punctuated by those with more personal grudges. One of the Hokage's first acts after privately celebrating the budding romance between Naruto and Hinata was to take stock of anyone who might take action in response to the news of the relationship. The list was dishearteningly long, but as he recalled, Hiashi's name wasn't present.

The Konoha elders knew that the likelihood of an incident occurring was growing more likely with each passing day. Naruto was an object of hatred, and the thought of him living in misery, barely tolerated by others had kept many satisfied and quiescent. Jiraiya's acceptance of Naruto as his student had been widely dismissed as done out of old sentiments for the dead. The announcement of Naruto's bid for Hinata's hand in marriage must have come as quite a shock for those people who still thought of Naruto as the village pariah.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei…"

"What?"

"What do you think the next test will be?"

"I couldn't say…but you should plan for anything."

Naruto folded his arms and his face scrunched up in concentration. "It's supposed to be something like showing I'm a good enough ninja to join the Hyuuga clan. So I guess it's like the ninja academy all over again…"

"You'd better hope not, Naruto. I still remember some of your test scores."

"Iruka-sensei!"

"Have you been studying? What if they want a written exam?"

"No way! They wouldn't! That'd be completely unfair!"

"You didn'tthrow away your old textbooks, did you?"

"AHHHHH!"

* * *

After saying goodbye to Iruka and returning home, Naruto was struck by the strangest feeling that his apartment was different, somehow. At first, he thought it was just his imagination, and even stopped to consider that there was something dangerous waiting for him. But there was no ambush, no traps that he could find, and the feeling lingered as he went about his nightly routine. He noticed that the girls had cleaned up the living room during their visits, and the slight difference made the dirt and clutter in the other rooms stand out all the more. Secondhand furniture that he'd sat on and worked at for years was now too uncomfortable to relax on. Wood creaked painfully loud as he walked over it, and every spot of tarnish and rust stood out clearly, glaring at him as he passed.

When it was finally time to sleep, the small bedroom seemed smaller, cramped, and almost claustrophobic. It was as drafty as it'd always been, but Naruto was freezing despite the extra blankets he'd piled on. He pulled the covers tight around himself, and his anger suddenly rose as he heard a tiny rip from the threadbare cloth.

He hated this. He always had. His frustration at the life he had had been soothed by the dream of becoming Hokage. The promise of being acknowledged, accepted…that thought alone had convinced him to bear whatever was thrown at him. He'd worked, and trained, and bled for his village, but no matter what he did, no matter what he accomplished, people seemed to think no differently of him.

The desire to become Hokage was nothing compared to what he felt for her. It had been a child's daydream, an escape. Nothing more. All he needed was **her, **and she'd been waiting for him all along. He'd just been too stupid to realize it.

Hinata…

Naruto lifted the pillow to his face and breathed deeply, taking in as much of the precious scent as he could. There was no exotic spice or perfume, no poetry in what floated around him. It was only sweat and dirt, but it caught him in an iron grip that called up old memories so fresh and raw. The first time he'd spoken to her. He recalled every tiny offering of kindness from her, the majority of the few such gifts in his life. The thought that she'd _never _looked at him with that hateful expression so many people reserved just for him. It had been an idea so incomprehensible he couldn't bring himself to believe it, not at first. And those words! Those unbelievable, incredible things she had confessed to him.

He had only one chance. It was all or nothing. His actions in the next few days would decide the course of the rest of his life.

The next morning, a messenger stopped by, and announced that in three days, he would demonstrate his abilities in a match against a member of the Hyuuga clan.

The messenger would leave quickly, shaken by the look in the young man's eyes. Naruto hadn't dreamed that night. Dreams were for children. When he left for the training grounds later that day, he left his empty optimism behind. From now on, there would be nothing in his heart but resolve.


	8. Chapter 8

Hiashi's side itched with the nervous chakra that Hinata was bleeding out. Today, Naruto would provide a more direct show of worth through a battle against one of the Hyuuga. He did not necessarily have to win, though Hiashi cared more for a battle that was not so one-sided that he could not accurately measure Naruto's capabilities. As aggravating as this entire episode had been, Hiashi intended to see it through to the end.

The small, tidy dojos within the Hyuuga compound were not made for the kind of battle that was sure to come. The fight would take place in a field that Hiashi didn't doubt had been prepared ahead of time with an array of traps and effects to stack the odds against the jinchuuriki. A pavilion had been raised for Hiashi and several others to observe the match comfortably, but there was little comfort in the line of barrier-type seals spread along the edge of the field.

Something like that would only be needed to block very powerful techniques from injuring the spectators, or ensure that no one could enter the field without great effort. Worse, a few of the Hyuuga gathered could not completely suppress their emotions. The mood was growing darker by the minute, and the feelings spiked as the chosen Hyuuga appeared. Hiashi understood the implications immediately. They weren't expecting a fight…they were expecting someone to die.

This was getting out of hand.

* * *

Naruto walked to the field alone, bowing to the elders and listening to their instructions. A smile from Hinata sharpened his focus, and he strode into the field and the lone man waiting for him. Naruto's skin tingled as the barrier went up. Chakra channelled through the inanimate always felt dull and stifled.

Someone was making an announcement. Naruto was trying to hear it, but his opponent was drawing his full attention. The man's bearing and expression carried a cold malice that he did not even attempt to hide. He didn't say a word, and barely lowered his head. Naruto returned the bow for all that it was worth. Whoever he was, there was something in his intent towards Naruto that he couldn't quite place. It wasn't exactly rage or bloodlust, but it sat dark and heavy over the man's form. It actually reminded him a lot like Sasuke…a feeling like this was almost-

"Begin!"

The Hyuuga's eyes flared, and Naruto was already moving.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

The words were out of his mouth as he leapt away, the Hyuuga advancing fast. Naruto knew he had to stay out of close combat, and his clones scattered to flank his attacker. Once they had him surrounded-

The world shook, and a shockwave blasted Naruto from his feet. The disorientation was worsened by the influx of memory from a destroyed shadow clone, little more then a flash and sudden pain. The clones were equally surprised and the Hyuuga tore through them on the way to the original. Images of his attacker's cold gaze floated through his mind before a boot impacted his ribs and sent him flying. There was no accompanying technique or follow-through, only a single savage impact against his ribs. All the abilities at his opponent's disposal, and he'd settled for kicking him while he was down.

Naruto stood on wobbling legs and spared a glance at the crater left in the dirt. He hadn't seen his opponent use any kind of jutsu or device, which meant the area had probably been seeded with landmines beforehand. His opponent would probably try to herd him towards them, or keep them on his flanks to guard against being surrounded. The Hyuuga's outline flickered, and Naruto reflexively threw himself into a roll to avoid a strike from behind, expecting to land straight on a mine and be blown to pieces – but he came up alive.

Naruto knew that worrying about the mines was as much a scare tactic to make him lose focus as much as hurt him…but there was one way to find out where they were!

Another hand seal created dozens of copies, and some were destroyed the moment they formed. Half found mines as they began to run in random directions, but losing a fraction of his chakra was a fair trade for keeping his limbs intact. The few that made it to the edge of the field stuck to the only plan he had, drawing blades and ranging out in a semicircle around his attacker. This was the tricky part.

The first shuriken weren't aimed directly at his opponent. They skimmed his position, a cage of flying steel that made him abort his next attack and forced him to remain still. The next attack came in dead on, and the sheer mass of weaponry made him respond exactly as Naruto had hoped.

"Kaiten!"

Steel shrieked as it was tossed away by the force of the swirling energies, and a few projectiles were thrown far enough away to be charred by the barrier around the field. The weapons did nothing against the mass of chakra, but the swarm of Narutos still didn't let up.

Inside the maelstrom, white eyes narrowed as kunai and shuriken rained pointlessly against the technique. Naruto pulled out a handful of sealing scrolls and tossed them to the waiting clones. The sharp pinging against the shield continued, slowly, regularly, the impacts making a persistent rhythm about the howl of swirling chakra.

Naruto drew out another scroll. These kunai had explosive notes attached.

* * *

"What could he possibly-" Another rumble sounded across the field, mercifully drowning out the words of those behind him.

Hiashi sat as calmly as he could, watching through the growing smoke as Naruto lazily began tossing more explosives at the spinning mass of chakra. It was a simple strategy, but whether it would be effective…regardless, it would be interesting to see the results.

Hinata was petrified by the sight of the battle, obviously too horrified at the spectacle to grasp what was going on. A vulgar outburst and a shouted encouragement to attack told Hiashi that the other Hyuuga had realized what was happening. Inside the kaiten, he saw that Hyuuga Ryuudachi was preparing to move. The Byakugan let Hiashi see everything in perfect clarity. Still, he leaned forwards, just a little.

* * *

An angry curse, not even a word, was Naruto's only warning as Ryuudachi's kaiten exploded outwards. The scrolls in his hands were reduced to ash, and he was flung away by the expanding storm to land a hair's breadth from the edge of the barrier. The seals were beginning to fracture as the technique scraped the edges and the discharge of stray charka made the air stink of ozone.

Naruto rolled onto his back as one tiny flicker shocked him. He opened his eyes to see Ryuudachi standing over him, and Naruto couldn't register the individual impacts through the pain as Ryuudachi began methodically hammering away at his pressure points.

His body felt like it was made of lead. Strong hands grabbed him by the collar and pulled him upwards in line with furious white eyes.

"I've been waiting a long time for this…"

"For what?"

White eyes bored into his, shifting and trying to focus as if they were looking for something.

"Bring it out. I want to see it."

"No!"

No technique or precision. No juuken. Just a heavy fist that smashed into Naruto's face again and again.

"Show me! It's what I came here for!"

Bruised and bloody, Naruto didn't say a word. Ryuudachi pulled him closer, their two faces inches from each other. Looking. Searching. With Naruto's chakra sealed, the only way to win was to draw on the kyuubi's power. But he was holding back. Ryuudachi screamed in frustration and threw him away. This time, Naruto didn't fall short. He hit the barrier dead-on, and he was held in mid-air as destructive energy began to course through his body.

Hinata screamed as she watched Naruto spasm in the barrier's hold before he was ejected back into the field. He fell, twitching in the dirt, sparks dancing over his skin. He coughed and the dirt turned red, smearing his face in the bloody mess as he tried to look up.

"That's it…that's what I wanted to see."

It was too much. Pupils had contracted to slits, and bright eyes were red with anger. Ryuudachi didn't hesitate, his feet tearing up the ground as he spun forwards. He was forming another Kaiten, larger and more intense then the last. And this time, he would be caught between the barrier and the storm of chakra.

"Kag-"The word was broken off by a flash of pain.

Hinata was screaming his name. He saw her being held back, one foot on the edge of the platform and trying to push herself forwards. Hiashi was arguing with another man who was too busy watching the final movement to pay him any attention. And still Ryuudachi came on.

"Alright…just this once…"

Without mantra or hand seals, sheer force of will brought a groups of clones into being. They lifted him upwards, and Ryuudachi watched as Naruto became airborne. The clones on the ground were annihilated in a moment as they were crushed into the barrier, but Naruto was safe. His hand outstretched, crimson chakra gathering in his palm.

Beneath him, the kaiten grew large enough to tear the barrier apart as Ryuudachi put every ounce of hatred he had into the technique, and the onlookers jumped away as the storm expanded to chase Naruto upwards. There was only one clone left, and it flung Naruto and his rasengan straight down, into the eye of the storm, where the forces or momentum and rotation were weakest.

* * *

"Give them back…damn you…"

When the dust cleared, Ryuudachi was seen to be more then half-buried in the dirt. Naruto lay next to him, just as unable to move.

"I can't."

"Murderer…"

"I'm sorry. But I'm not the kyuubi."

"You hold it! It's in there, and if the only way to kill that thing is to go through you…no matter what it takes…I will…"

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you have your revenge right now. Maybe never."

"I…hate you. I will never stop…hating you!"

"Yeah. But that's alright. You really loved them, so you have to know what I feel for Hinata and what she means to me. You tried to take that from me. So I have to hate you too…I guess that makes us even."

* * *

The two fighters were carried away on stretchers, side-by-side, and Hiashi gently kept Hinata from going to him. As much he might sympathise, he wasn't prepared to give those opposed the slightest added weight to their arguments.

Something like this had been inevitable, of course, as much as he didn't want to admit it. And he honestly didn't expect things to go this far. Hiashi had hoped that his clan would show a little more self-discipline throughout this affair, but too many people had a stake in the outcome. Whatever their reasons, it had allowed for an influence on their decisions that was too great to continue any further. He would take steps to ensure this did not happen again while Naruto recovered, under guard if need be.

* * *

It wasn't until the last man had left, the wind calmed and the dust settled, that a shadow detached itself from where it'd sat since the match began. It paused a moment, looking out over the ruined field, before disappearing completely.


	9. Chapter 9

Among the nobility, communication was an art form. There was no room for outbursts of anger or passion. Even in private, it was difficult to put away the face worn carefully in public. Conveying emotion and desire subtly was a skill practiced as diligently as ninjutsu, and it took all of Hiashi's talent to keep his anger from spilling out from within the gentle brushstrokes.

Hyuuga Ryuudachi had lost his wife and children to the kyuubi. It wasn't enough that he could never truly leave that tragedy behind, with the bijuu sealed rather then actually destroyed. No, someone had fanned the flames of his anger, drawing fresh hatred and pain from old scars and setting him against Naruto.

Others had interfered in the courtship overtly, withholding messages and subtly garbling important pronouncements. In the beginning, Hiashi had tolerated such acts simply because it suited him to see Naruto faced with the appropriate challenges.

Hiashi could even accept the inevitable loss of face that would accompany accepting Naruto as his son, if the boy was worthy. He was perfectly willing to balance popularity against the gain of a worthy successor to continue the Hyuuga line. If Naruto actually became hokage and ordered the change he had promised Neji, well, that was an issue for another time.

But what he could not accept was the pettiness and stupidity so blatantly displayed by some within his clan. It reflected badly upon the Hyuuga as a whole. Hiashi honestly could not fathom the reasoning behind it. but he could foresee the results easily enough. So he sat, appearing calm to outside world, forcing his displeasure through the brush in his hand. The message would be sent to the various elders of the clan, whether they had involved themselves in this fiasco or not. If they wished to obstruct the boy's petition, so be it. But they would do so _properly._

* * *

When the world returned to focus, Naruto was in a hospital room. Everything that he could see was bandaged, and his entire body ached. The memory of the fight was a painful blur, but he knew that he had won. He was one step closer to Hinata, but all that he could think about was his opponent had said to him, and what it meant.

"Naruto? Ah, you're awake."

Sakura stepped inside with Tsunade at her side. The two said their greetings and congratulations, but Naruto wasn't really listening, only nodding and mumbling his replies. Sakura tried to get his attention, but he wouldn't reply, his thoughts elsewhere.

"Sakura…Would you give us a moment?"

"Um…alright." Sakura picked up her things and left quietly, looking over her shoulder at the quiet pair as the door swung shut behind her.

"Tsunade…"

She blinked. She couldn't remember the last time he'd called her that.

"The Kyuubi…hurt a lot of people, didn't it?"

Tsunade sighed, taking a look at his chart as she settled on the edge of his bed.

"Yes."

"But they can't move past that, can they? When the Kyuubi isn't dead."

"No. It really would be better for everyone if I haul you outside, tear your head off, and scatter your entrails over the Konoha rooftops."

Naruto looked up in surprise. Tsunade sighed and dropped the deadpan tone from her voice.

"That's what you were thinking, isn't it? They want the Kyuubi dead, and that means killing you. You want to find some way to help them, and no matter what you think of, it all comes back to you. You think that you're the one at fault."

Naruto nodded.

"I-"

"WELL DON'T BE SO DAMNED STUPID!"

Naruto nearly leapt out of bed in surprise. Tsunade pushed him back into the mattress, holding him down with bone-crushing force as she glared at him. She sighed again as she released him and stood back up, pulling her hair away from her eyes.

"You haven't done anything wrong. Don't ever think that they have the right to hate you, Naruto."

"I just…I can't help but think that-"

"Don't. Sacrificing yourself won't accomplish anything. The choice to hate you is one they made for themselves. As long as they hold onto that, they'll never get over the pain of the past. There's a limit to kindness. You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved."

Naruto was quietly, and Tsunade rested a hand on his shoulder as she sat down next to him.

"All you need to do is just to be who you are now…what you do for Konoha helps to separate the idea of 'Naruto' and 'Kyuubi.' The Kyuubi is a danger, you are not. There are already people who now see one without seeing the other, because of your actions."

Tsunade stood and absentmindedly checked Naruto's chart, hrm-ing as she read the list of injuries and treatments administered.

"By the way, I've been informed that you'll be given time to recover before the testing continues. Of course, the time is limited and you'll be expected to be up and ready to continue in three days time."

"I'll be ready."

"Then I'll leave you to rest."

"Tsunade?"

She paused with her hand on the door.

"Thanks."

"No problem. You're an idiot, you need a little help sometimes."

"Eh!?"

* * *

"Welcome home, Hinata."

"Father."

"Naruto was not badly injured, and will recover shortly."

Hinata's face lit up, and Hiashi inwardly scowled at the breach of protocol, but he could see the question is his daughter's eyes from the moment she stepped in the room, and dancing around the subject until it was proper to answer would only have distracted them both.

"You will be able to speak to him during the next meeting – but I expect you to keep composed."

"O-of course."

Hiashi had only interjected like that because he could sense the childish energy welling up inside her, and having a Hyuuga dancing or singing within the compound would hardly be appropriate. This matter really was starting to wear on him…

"I will be glad to see this matter settled, Hinata. Please do not do anything to compound our problems further."

"I won't. Not when I'm so close…It feels like I've been chasing him forever."

"And of all the men you may have chosen…even knowing what he was."

It took Hiashi a moment to realize he had spoken his thoughts aloud. It took another to notice the cloud that crept over Hinata's joyful expression.

"I…I don't…actually…know."

Hiashi destroyed another fine teacup in his moment of surprise.

"I-I know that there's some reason everyone…hates him…"

"But…when the elders came to speak with me, you suggested you knew…"

"Well I…I had come to understand that many people knew the secret, and that they were forbidden to speak of it, so I…just…suggested. I think…I think Naruto tried to tell me once, when I was at his home, but you arrived just as he began speaking, and…"

Hiashi was speechless. Everything he'd thought that day was wrong. Hinata hadn't trapped them-she'd fooled them. Completely, utterly, using what she'd observed and wielding what she had – nothing! – In a way that had made the elders and himself to fill in and account for the unknowns all by themselves. Hinata _hadn't _fooled them. She'd made them fool themselves.

Hinata stared, apprehensive, as Hiashi's eyes grew distant. For a moment, it looked as if the corners of his mouth had curled upwards, by the tiniest degree.

Hiashi didn't care what she might see, being lost in the moment. By the gods, he had have never been so _proud _of his daughter in all his life.


	10. Chapter 10

Okay, just for the record, I'd started working on this again the day _before _I got that last PM

lordy, how many years has it been?

* * *

Hideyoshi was past the point of anger. The rage that had filled him had long passed. He was left stewing in impotent hatred, forced to sit still without anything left in the room that he had not vented his feelings upon.

The letter passed to him had been torn up as soon as he'd finished reading it. He'd stood to pace and think, kicking a table from his path. A vase had fallen and been punctured by kunai the moment it hit the ground. He'd gone back to the shredded paper and tore it to tiny bits. A wall was marred by the rents he'd gouged out of the wood. Hideyoshi had gone back to the note one last time, leaving fragments of the table scattered around the room and flecks of ash floating through the air.

Hiashi was actually speaking in defense of that misbegotten wretch, and Hideyoshi could not begin to understand why. Naruto had even been given an extended period to recuperate before the testing resumed, which was unheard of. Obedient sheep that they were, many elders were backing down from their earlier positions. Hideyoshi had spoken to several. They'd all promised to continue working against Naruto, to interfere wherever possible.

Hideyoshi knew that they were all empty words. Even Ryuudachi, wounded by the beast that'd killed his family, now lay broken and distant, his conviction wavering. The testing was almost complete, and there were few men he could still rely on.

Though one of them brought back a very interesting piece of information...

* * *

After Naruto emerged from the hospital and continued the courtship, Konoha's rumor-mill had been whipped into frenzy. The idea of the Jinchuuriki actually marrying into the Hyuuga clan had been a laughable notion just a short time before – now it was a scandal that gripped the attention of the populace in ways few events ever had. Gambling halls were taking bets on whether Naruto would succeed, or how spectacularly he would fail. The topic dominated the conversations of every housewife and more then a few young girls had suddenly come to the realization of how strong, brave and handsome Naruto really was, each lamenting the fact he was now spoken for.

Naruto wasn't aware of any of this, through the odd behavior of the people in town was making going out in public positively surreal.

In the meantime, while he waited for the further examinations, Naruto was introduced to the concept of 'politics' by Sakura and his friends. None of it really made any sense to him, beyond the fact that it tended to make otherwise simple things very complicated. There was still so much he knew he didn't understand, but there was little other choice then to bury his head in books and listen to the lectures he was given. The only thing that kept him going was the assurance that the worst of it all was past.

* * *

Hinata was not skipping down the hallways of her home – she might have, if she knew how, but ingrained habit dampened any outward showing of the feelings welling up inside of her. She did show the shock plainly on her face when she saw who was waiting for her in the foyer.

"Hinata-sama, it's so good that I was able to catch up to you."

"Hideyoshi, was it?"

"I'm so glad you remember. I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier."

"There's no need." Hinata tried to keep her tone level and diplomatic despite herself. "I understand how my choice has upset some members of the household."

"No...I don't believe you do. I just learned that you yourself do not fully understand just who is trying to court you, but now I have the opportunity to rectify that."

There was a flicker in the corner of Hinata's vision, and then everything went dark. Hideyoshi walked back to the front steps, calmly slipping his shoes back on as one of his men lifted the unconscious girl over his shoulder.

"I realize now that I've been going about this all wrong, and the Hyuuga have been troubled as a result. This has been entirely my mistake. I should have understood that the real person I should have been trying to convince to stop this is you, Hinata-sama. I hope what you see today will make you realize the mistake you were about to make..."

* * *

"Look, you have a diplomat, and he..."

"Aaaaaah...no more..."

Sakura was glad for the knock at the door, but she still shot Naruto a look that told him not to move from the pile of books spread across the floor. The ninja outside handed her a letter and craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Konoha's most infamous genin buried in his studies. The message was addressed to Naruto, and Sakura went to get a glass of water while he opened it. It was probably a notice regarding the last test of the courtship.

She choked at the sound of something crashing. Sakura ran back into the room to find it empty, the door half-torn from it's hinges. A crumpled letter had fallen to the floor, a few threads of dark hair caught in the folds.

* * *

Naruto moved like a man possessed, his muscles protesting the sudden demands. The letter had been simple enough. A request to speak with him in the flowery style that he'd seen too much of in the past few weeks. It was signed by that guy Hideyoshi, who seemed to hate him more then anyone else. Naruto had half-crumpled the note before he realized what was attached at the bottom.

A lock of Hinata's hair.

Naruto's eyes had lost their characteristic blue in favor of a deep crimson, and his passage left claw marks as he leapt from tree to tree.

Deep inside him, the Kyuubi smiled.

* * *

"Hideyoshi!"

Naruto had landed in a clearing before a small shrine, the place the letter had invited him too. It was a wide open space, foolish to rush into, but such thoughts no longer concerned him.

"Where are you, you bastard?"

"Mind your tongue, child."

The shrine opened, and Hideyoshi strode out casually, his expression showing nothing but distaste.

"Where's Hinata?"

"Oh, of course."

A gesture brought two men out of the shrine, carrying a bound Hinata between them. They forced her to the ground and stood over her, while Hideyoshi bowed to the girl with all seriousness.

"Let her go, now!"

"In a moment. The two of you need to understand just how much trouble you've caused the Hyuuga. I suppose it's partially my fault as well...I certainly could of handled the situation with more delicacy. Still, all this was inevitable. You, not understanding the nature of social status, and her, well...young women are easily drawn into this sort of foolishness, I suppose."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about..."

"It simply would never have worked out between you two. If the elders had just taken the time to explain that...Regardless, I finally realized the simplest way to end this was to have Hinata withdraw her favor from you. To that end, I need you to show her what you have sealed inside of you. Please don't make this any harder then it has to be."

Hinata stared upwards at Hideyoshi, before turning to Naruto, not understanding. Naruto was already resisting the urge to snarl as the kyuubi's chakra welled up inside of him, and he clamped down hard as he felt Hinata's eyes on him.

He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her, to have her accept him regardless, but he didn't want her to see it. It was horrible, ugly. He didn't want her to see him like that.

"No."

Two more men leapt from the trees behind Hideyoshi. Naruto called up a swarm of shadow clones as they raced forwards, and he ran to meet them. There was no thought to what he did, throwing bodies by the dozens at the two and running past them towards Hinata. The two men that had been holding her stepped forwards to block him, and red eyes turned to focus on white as they split up and came at him from both sides.

The first hit slid into his ribs like a blade, chakra diving deep into his body to twist the pathways that controlled his own flow, but Naruto had accepted the hit to draw the first man close. A bone-crunching strike turned his head to one side, and the Hyuuga spun to fall and flop on the ground. A second hit dug into the small of his back, but the return kick was too slow to hit. The man ducked under his leg, and rose into a kaiten that tore at Naruto's skin, but he held on and dug in, forcing his body against the energies and projecting a red aura that cut through the storm and let him grab the man. A heel in the solar plexus bent the man over, and his long hair just made it that much easier to pull the man's head down and crush it between his rising knee and descending elbow.

There was nothing between Naruto and Hideyoshi for the moment, but the man seemed far too calm as he drew a kunai.

"Almost. But she needs to see it in it's entirety. Hurry and-"

"Shut up!"

Naruto ran forwards. Hideyoshi only sighed.

"My apologies for this, Hinata-sama."

The point of the kunai sank into the meat of her leg, and she cried out behind the gag in her mouth. Naruto froze in mid-step.

"Now, Naruto-kun, if you don't mind, I have a very busy day ahead of me..."

The trees shook as a wave of red chakra exploded outwards. Hinata turned her head as the pressure-wave passed over her. Eyes thick with tears and dirt, she almost couldn't see what had happened.

Almost.

The grass around Naruto was scorched and scoured bare, and he stretched out like a hunting beast, coated in a mass of howling chakra that hurt to look at. It gave him the silhouette of an animal, long ears and a plume resembling a tail flowing out behind him.

"There, do you see it, Hinata-sama? The kyuubi no kitsune. Sealed within that boy years ago. Naruto is nothing more then a container for that power. It is laughable to think he could be anything more...I honestly cannot conceive why he was not killed after his purpose was fulfilled."

Naruto's roar peeled shingles off the shrine's roof.

"H-Hideyoshi-sama? What are you trying to do?"

"What am I-" Hideyoshi tilted his head to look past the furious jinchuuriki towards the man that spoke. "I am trying to make it clear the mistake Hinata-sama was about to make! To marry a peasant is one thing, but to become involved with this...tool...Hinata-sama, if you would just explain-oh, the gag."

Hideyoshi reached for the cloth over her mouth. He never got close.

Hinata was thrown aside as Naruto barreled past, smashing his way through the shrine and barely missing Hideyoshi. The small building collapsed on top of him, but a flick of his tail threw the remains of the structure away. Hinata rolled to avoid being buried and was pelted by splinters and stones, her body shaking from shock and adrenaline, screaming beneath her gag as the kunai was twisted in her wound.

"This is hardly necessary." Hideyoshi's voice shook even as his expression remained locked in formal distain. "I don't understand what you're hoping to accomplish." Hideyoshi's eyes grew marginally wider as Naruto burst from the ruin and flew towards him. "I-I only wanted to make it clear to H-Hinata-sama that she did not truly know w-who she was associating herself with. The stain on her-and-our family's reputation would have be-"

He didn't get the chance to finish. Whatever strange mentality that had kept him so unnaturally calm also kept him from moving as the kyuubi bore down on him. The red chakra grew darker, and Hinata's byakugen let her see just enough before she could shut it down that Hideyoshi would never bother anyone ever again. But she couldn't shut her ears against the crunch and snap of bones, or the sounds of surprise and fear from the men still conscious.

She quickly heard them die, as well.

Eternity seemed to pass. There was nothing but the wind and the smell of hot blood. Hinata forced herself to sit up, already working against her bonds. She froze at a sound, a low growl that seemed to come from all around her, and slowly opened her eyes.

If Naruto was underneath that red chakra, she could not see him. It had thickened and darkened, and four chakra-tails now waved behind him. The face was..inhuman. There was nothing she knew in what was looking at her. She could have reached out and touched it, so close the creature was.

It screamed at her, and raised an arm, sickle-blades of chakra extended like claws. The claws came down, too fast to see, impacting the ground next to her with enough force to knock her aside.

The kyuubi-thing screamed again, lowering it's head to look her in the eye. The gag fell away, but Hinata didn't speak. Couldn't speak, with the creature filling her field of view.

The kyuubi battered her away like a cat with a toy, the kunai tearing out of her leg, and her cry of pain seeming to attract the creature. It was on top on her in an instant, two blank swirls of chakra looking down at her.

"Na..."

If the face could hold an expression, it seemed alternately fascinated...and hungry.

"Naruto..."

The kyuubi flinched.

"Na...ruto...please..."

The kyuubi's head snapped to one side, but it returned to scream in her face, its jaw stretching too wide for a normal human mouth to accommodate.

"Please..."

Claws dug furrows in the dirt to either side of her. It seemed to want to bite her, but the chakra-body trembled and held the jaws back.

"I know...you can hear me...please!"

The kyuubi flung itself away from her, a leg or claw finding purchase before a seizure threw it off-balance. Hinata could see fractures in the chakra, heard the sound of the howls waver between bestial and something more human. A hand tore at the stomach, and the kyuubi rolled over completely in an attempt to keep the hand away from it's face. It failed, and Hinata saw a flash of blue beneath the red as the hand pulled at the chakra over the face. She saw Naruto's face for just a moment, saw the flesh opened to the bone by his own claws.

The howling grew louder, the body shuddering as whatever conflict inside seemed to reach a climax, and a flash of hunger reappeared in it's eyes, even as the cries became almost purely human.

Something burst from the ground, grabbed him, encircled him, Hinata became aware of other presences, felt someone reach for her.

Too much had happened to think clearly, to make any sense of what was happening before her, but she held on just long enough to see her love emerge, torn free from beneath the red cloak of chakra, before allowing herself to surrender to unconsciousness.


	11. Chapter 11

Didn't think I'd be able to re-write it. I was wrong. Hope this is a little better.

* * *

The first thing Hinata noticed was that her ceiling was very clean. It seemed strange. You would think there would be some dust, at least, but she supposed the Hyuuga's servants were just very thorough in their work. Did they cart ladders around the house, or did they employ some sort of dusting-nin? Maybe she could ask someone.

Also, Naruto had turned into some kind of monster and tried to eat her after coming to rescue her from Hideyoshi.

Hinata shrieked and fell out of bed, trying to untangle herself from the sheets and accidentally tearing an I.V. drip from her arm. She slapped a hand over the blood welling out of her arm and stumbled the rest of the way to the door, wrenching it open.

Hiashi stood outside, looking slightly less imposing then usual but managing to stop Hinata from erupting with babble with a look. He waited for her to collect herself, and in a few moments Hinata was standing up straight and at attention before him, if still trembling slightly.

"Good morning, Hinata. How are you feeling?"

"I...I'm fine. Just a little tired-father what-"

He held up a hand to silence her, and motioned her back into the room. The bed was set by the time she'd sat back down, servants and doctors hovering on the edge of her perception. They were gone when she looked up, with only Hiashi remaining. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, his gaze finding the new picture on Hinata's nightstand, before he turned back to her and spoke.

"We feared the worst when you went missing. I am taken to understand Hideyoshi kidnapped you, but we don't know what he hoped to accomplish by doing so."

"Hideyoshi...wanted to convince me not to marry Naruto. He wanted to explain...to show...Naruto...Naruto! Where is he? Is he alright? What...what happened to him?"

Hiashi sighed, and didn't even try to conceal it, though it was one of exhaustion and not displeasure.

"Naruto is recovering. The strain of...of tapping the Kyuubi's chakra will pass quickly."

"Kyuubi?"

Hiashi sat down at the foot of her bed, a very ignoble pose for her father. It shocked her to see a range of emotions play out on his face, if only for a moment, before he continued.

"As you may know, many years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune laid siege to Konoha. Too powerful to be defeated, the Fourth Hokage had no choice but to use a forbidden sealing technique at the the cost of his own life. Such techniques had not seen use since the last great ninja war, when the hidden villages hunted down the tailed beasts and sealed them within shinobi to use as living weapons. The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi within the only suitable candidate within the village...his own newborn son."

"Naruto."

"Yes. But the seal isn't perfect. The more the host draws upon the Kyuubi's power, the more influence it has over him. Fortunately there are contingencies in place, and we were somehow able to make it in time. Such an event...was one of the reasons we feared to allow your relationship with Naruto to develop. If he was to truly care for someone, he would be protective of them, and be enraged by any threat to them. That anger would be a liability, a fatal flaw in his self-control that could allow the Kyuubi to take control."

"Is...is that why everyone acts the way they do towards him? So that he would never _care _for anyone?"

"No. No, the townpeople that knew his secret merely feared and hated him for what he carried inside of him. But...it was one of the reasons we chose to do nothing to stop it."

Hinata's eyes were wide with horror. Her mind raced as years upon years of unanswered questions came together in perfect, terrible understanding.

"We...have done him a disservice. All of us. Only Iruka-san chose to...treat him as human. Only his legacy as the Yondaime's son kept others from..taking him and molding him into the weapon they saw. And now...he has fallen in love. Most would consider this the worst of all possible outcomes. Knowing what he is, you must understand the danger you will be putting yourself in to even be near him."

"He wouldn't...he wouldn't let the kyuubi hurt me. H-he s-stopped it before it c-could..."

"And the next time? And the next? Doubtless, his feelings will give him strength to resist the kyuubi's influence. But if you are harmed, worse, if he is one to harm you, he will be driven to a state that no one can bring him back from. And then, everyone will suffer for it."

Hiashi stood, turning his face away, unwilling to let his daughter see any more of the thoughts playing out in gaze.

"But...it is still your choice to make. We are content that you understand what may come of this, and we have prepared for the consequences, whatever they may be."

Nothing more was said, and Hinata did not noticed as left her alone to her thoughts.

* * *

Seated around him, the elders among the Hyuuga were quiet and subdued. The staunchest of Naruto's opponents had stated their case, and any pretense of pettiness had long been dropped. The arguments had been made, over issues political and practical, and all that was left was to cast their votes.

Hinata knelt quietly and pulled the screen aside, greeting her father and the assembled elders. No one felt it necessary to speak of the state she was in, politely ignoring the redness around her eyes or the tear-stains on her shirt.

"We have made our decision, Hinata."

Despite everything, she was still a scion of the Hyuuga, and she demanded it of herself to appear composed as she rose to address them, despite the feelings raging inside her..

"So have I."

* * *

Around him, the Hyuuga compound was silent. Naruto and his entourage padded soundlessly through the halls, leading him towards the worst moment of his life. He had awoken in Konoha hospital, his memory a red haze of blood and anger. Despite Sakura appearing and assuring him that Hinata was alright, Naruto dreaded seeing her again. A part of him, tiny and scoured raw by fear, kept him moving forwards, wanting to see her on last time, to explain, to apologize to do...something, before she was lost to him forever.

The attendants vanished at the end. Naruto was alone in front of the same door to where he'd been questioned and picked apart on his first 'test.' He didn't have time to kneel before a voice bade him enter. He slid the door open to see the empty but for two people – Hiashi, sitting at his place before the symbols and family shrine of the Hyuuga, and Hinata, kneeling to his right. She looked up as Naruto entered, and he looked away, stepping blindly up to where he would kneel before Hiashi, and seeing Hinata's head bowed out of the corner of his eye.

"Uzumaki Naruto. You have caused the Hyuuga household a great deal of trouble with your advances towards my daughter. You have taken the life of a respected clansmen. Strife has been sown both between brothers and between the Hyuuga and other noble houses as a result of this episode. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I...when I realized...what Hinata felt for me, I couldn't...I couldn't let that go. I've lost...so many important things...people...but I've never had feelings like this for anyone before...I couldn't bear to lose them...to lose her. But I never meant to hurt...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"

Hiashi stared dispassionately down at the boy, stretched out before him. He looked to his side. His daughter raised her head, the pain on her face giving way to a smile. Hiashi nodded and rose.

"I understand. At least, seeing what you have fought through, I wish I could truly say that I did. You have shown unparallelled character and fortitude to survive, to thrive, after everything you have endured. And one day, I will be proud to accept you as my son."

On the floor, Naruto eyes snapped open. Streaked with tears, he raised his face to see Hiashi bow before turning to leave without another word. Naruto stared at him in confusion, a part of him refusing to accept what he had heard, stunned by disbelief.

"I accept your apology."

Naruto turned, finally, to look at Hinata. She looked neither afraid nor disgusted.

"Hinata, I..."

"Father told me. Everything."

"Hinata...I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, so badly...I wanted to accept me no matter what..."

"I do. You've taught me so much, inspired me, helped me, and more then anything else, shown me to never give up. No matter what. I love you, Naruto, and nothing has changed."

Hiashi paused outside, leaving the door ajar. He could see Naruto stumbling towards Hinata and fall, see Hinata catch him, see them fall to their knees and wrap their arms around each other and squeeze as if they were terrified the world would come to tear them apart at any moment. By the laws of courtship, they'd need a chaperone of some sort for every meeting together. He smiled to himself and closed the door.

He would break the rules for them.

Just this once.


End file.
